Two teachers suddenly dismissed from charter school, parents and teachers speak out

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) -- After two teachers were suddenly dismissed from a Wilmington charter school, parents, students and faculty are speaking out.

According to the Cape Fear Center for Inquiry's school motto, promoting a sense of community through question-based learning is what they strive to achieve. However, some parents say their inquiries have been ignored.

“When decisions are being made and we don't know about them, or we have questions or concerns and they're not addressed, then that brings up issues,” said Amy ball, a parent of three at the charter school.

Ball was just one of many who spoke out Tuesday night during a school board meeting about their dislike for how the board handled dismissing two long-time teachers just weeks before school ended.

“I do feel that the timing-15 days before the end of school that their teachers were told this was a pretty poor decision,” said Ball.

Second and third grade teacher Jan Tremon-Jenkins and seventh and eighth grade teacher Teresa Lamb were told that their contracts would not be renewed for personnel issues. Lamb was the only one who decided to stay through the end of the year.

“This is evidence of a time when the choice to not renew the contract of two teachers has really polarized the community and it's unfortunate,” said Beth Carter, a teacher at the charter school.

Ball says it wasn't fair to the students.

“It effected them drastically,” said Ball. “The second graders-many of them were just devastated.”

Many say they feel a lack of communication between the board, parents and faculty. Ball says she hopes that things will return to how they were when the school first opened more than a decade ago.

“When a decision was on the table, it would be like how can we accomplish this and try to find every way that we can, whereas now it seems like that can't be done,” said Ball.

Members of the board have said that parent concerns about the timing of teacher dismissals will be considered in the future.

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